For men in Egypt and in many other countries in the Middle East, there is a peculiar taboo of not disclosing one's mother’s name in public, lest her name become a subject of shame and ridicule. Over time, she’s only referred to as ‘The mother of her eldest son’.
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Accra, Ghana- UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka paid an official visit to Ghana from 24-26 March, to engage with key stakeholders and participate in the international programme by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on the theme “Ebola: What next?”. She met with key stakeholders in the capital, Accra, including a high-level meeting with the President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. John Dramani Mahama, on 25 March.
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On the last leg of her three-day visit to Sierra Leone, on 24 March UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka launched the UN Women-supported Mano River Union First Ladies Initiative on Maternal and Reproductive Health Services at the Kenema District Government Hospital. The initiative aims to put essential services back on track and rebrand Maternal and Child Health (MCH) services to restore confidence in their use, eroded in the wake of Ebola Virus Disease.
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From Nairobi and Kampala, passing through Kigali and Pittsburgh, on their way to visit New York City on 11 March – for Ivy Wainain and Lynn Kirabo, walking through UN Women Headquarters is a “surreal” feeling. They take stock of every step they have undertaken to reach the milestone they are about to achieve – graduating from a Master’s degree in the United States.
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On her first official visit to Ghana as the Executive Director of UN Women from 24-26 March, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka will meet with President H.E. John Dramani Mahama and the Minister of Gender, Children & Social Protection Ministry, Honourable Nana Oye Lithur, to discuss the strengthening of collaboration around the advancement of gender equality and women’s empowerment.
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The annual Women in Parliaments Global Forum, taking place from 23-25 March in Addis Ababa under the theme of New Leadership for Global Challenges focuses on the need for leaders to share insights to navigate the future. The 2015 Forum, co-hosted by the African Union, co-financed by the European Commission will highlight the post-2015 development agenda, as well as celebrate the 20-year anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the blueprint for advancing women’s human rights. Participants include parliamentarians from every region, with working group sessions co-organized by UN Women, UNDP, World Bank and others. The Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director, Lakshmi Puri delivered the keynote address on the post-2015 development agenda.
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United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka visits Sierra Leone to meet with President H. E. Ernest Bai Koroma, the Government of Sierra Leone and other stakeholders to discuss the gender dimensions of the Ebola virus.
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In October 2014 representatives from 15 organizations in seven Pacific Island countries gathered in Melbourne, Australia for a week-long knowledge and learning exchange organized by UN Women. It was an opportunity to share experiences and learn both from each other and from a number of organizations working in Victoria, a state that employs Australia’s most holistic approach to ending violence against women. The exchange was part of the capacity building component of UN Women’s Pacific Regional...
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The UN Commission on the Status of Women concluded its 59th annual session today with an agreement by UN Member States on steps to boost its efforts to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment.
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Congratulating UN Member States, civil society and the UN system for a dynamic and forward-looking CSW session, UN Women Executive Director in her closing speech underlined that the post-2015 development agenda has to put gender equality at the core of sustainable development. She reiterated that there are no shortcuts to realizing gender equality and the human rights of women and girls, and everyone must work to bring about transformation within their families, societies, economies, and political and public spaces.
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They were toddlers in 1995 when the ground-breaking Beijing Platform for Action was adopted by global leaders. Some of them, not even born. Today they all have one mission—to make sure women’s rights and gender equality are not just words but reality for everyone they know. Infusing fresh meaning into the complex concepts of gender equality, here’s their take on what a gender-equal world would look like.
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As a sign of appreciation for a lifetime of love, this Mother's Day thank Mom with one small gift: Give Mom back her name.
Change your twitter profile picture to your mothers name and #MyMothersNameIs …. Let the world know she gave her all to raise you.
For men in Egypt and in many other countries in the Middle East, there is a peculiar taboo of not disclosing one's mother’s name in public, lest her name become a subject of shame and ridicule in public forums. Over time, her name becomes...
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Every year thousands of activists from civil society organizations around the world come to New York to take part in the Commission on the Status of Women, the global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.
A snapshot of their messages and perspectives on this year’s session of CSW…
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New York – With participants ranging in age from 10 to 79, UN Women hosted a full-day intergenerational dialogue on 13 March aimed at creating a space to connect up-and-coming gender equality activists with veterans to develop new strategies to achieve gender equality by 2030. One of UN Women’s flagship events at the 59th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the dialogue brought together women and men, girls and boys of all ages, indigenous groups, private sector and media representatives, LGBTIQ groups, and civil society organizations from countries across the globe.
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Indian tennis star and youth icon Sania Mirza was appointed UN Women Goodwill Ambassador to South Asia in November 2014. As India’s highest-ranked female tennis player ever, Ms. Mirza has used her spotlight to speak out on gender issues such as female foeticide and India’s decreasing sex ratio, and has encouraged young girls to challenge gender barriers, especially in the uneven playing field of sport.
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[As delivered]
Thank you for being here, and thank you for the long road that you have travelled and that you will continue to travel.
The year 2015 is the start of a make-or-break period for gender equality and women’s empowerment.
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Announced on national television on International Women's Day and hailed as a commitment to UN Women’s new Step It Up campaign, on 9 March Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff signed a new law that criminalizes femicide, the gender-motivated killing of women, and sets tougher penalties for those responsible for such crimes. Noting that on average 15 women are murdered every day in Brazil simply for being women, she described the matter as “a gender issue”.
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Welcome remarks addressed by UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka at the CSW59 side event “Looking into the future: The place of sport for women’s empowerment post-2015” co-organized by UN Women and the International Olympic Committee, held on 16 March in New York.
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[As delivered]
Thank you, Secretary-General for your remarks, and for the emphasis that you continue to put on partnership.
UN Women regards the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) as one of its most prized partners. We would like to further improve our collaboration. I would also want us to engage further with Member States – who are the real decision-makers – and I encourage you to do so during the Commission on the Status of Women.
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